


Eren's Lurgies

by A26



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Eren has Flu, Ereri Fluff Day, Established Relationship, Forehead Kisses, Levi looks after him, M/M, Married Couple, Sleepy Cuddles, lazy kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 15:08:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5210501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A26/pseuds/A26
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren has had the flu and Levi has taken a week off work to take care of him (and clean).</p>
<p>Written for Ereri Fluff Day 2015.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eren's Lurgies

It was a particularly uneventful day as far as weather went as Levi glanced out from his third-floor flat window out onto the street below. It was about two in the afternoon on a Sunday, the mid-November rain was coming down hard. His slippers were on, plus two pairs of socks and a thick pair of pajamas underneath a thick housecoat. His winter motto was always that he would 'freeze for no man'. 

He slipped back into action as he remembered what he was doing (aside from admiring the awful weather) and padded into the kitchen, the medicine box still open beside the sink. He rummaged around through the box and pulled out a sachet of dissolvable paracetamol for colds and flus, as well as a fresh teaspoon for the cough syrup which was still on the nightstand beside the bed.

The kettle was still hot, so he poured the medicinal drink and gave it a stir, adding a half a teaspoon of honey since the taste was far too bitter to stomach. Once everything was sufficiently dissolved, he added a splash of cool water to make it more palatable sooner. He grabbed his fresh teaspoon and the mug and made his way back to the warmth of the bedroom, opening and closing the door very quietly. 

Inside said bedroom was a black, cocoon of duvet atop his bed, his husband curled up in there somewhere. The area around his sleeping form was surrounded with scrunched up tissues and pillows were everywhere. The room was a mess, but Levi knew he would be able to tidy it once Eren was feeling better. He truly hated to see his lover in such a state. 

"Hey Eren, I brought you something." He said ever so softly, taking a slow seat on the edge of the large, messy bed and setting the hot drink down onto the nightstand and picking up the cough syrup. There was a chesty cough from under the covers and by now, having been coughing heavily for four days, Eren sounded thoroughly miserable and fed up with his ailment. It didn't help that he had a high temperature too and had been experiencing cold sweats. 

Eren shuffled in the sheets, clearly unable to sleep despite feeling drained and Levi rested a hand on his back once he'd rolled over and peeled his eyes open slowly. Levi felt a pang of upset seeing Eren so red-nosed, distressed and unrested, but the tissue wedged up his nose in frustration had him smiling. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked, rubbing soft circles onto Eren's back. Eren appreciated the gesture, as well as the warmth his husband's hand offered. It was soothing and gave him some contact other than his own bodily aches and pains to focus on.

"Like my chest is on fire." Eren admitted honestly. Levi simply smiled.

"Come on, sit up I have something that will help." Levi ushered him up as patiently as ever, letting his ill spouse take his time with moving into a seated position. Understanding his recent cold chills and sensitivity to any temperature that wasn't tropical, Levi wrapped a half of a nearby fluffy blanket around Eren's shoulders, to which Eren instantly tucked into one of his hands, smiling weakly in thanks. 

Levi shuffled closer and unscrewed the lid of the cough syrup, pouring a teaspoon and gently waving it before Eren's chapped lips. Eren opened his mouth, which by now felt horrible with layers of sickly sweet syrups and tangy medicines, unable to leave his bed to brush his teeth for a few days now. He gladly accepted the cough syrup in both of it's teaspoon-sized doses, which only served to make him cough more until the medicine kicked in and soothed his throat. 

Levi simply rested his hand on Eren's thigh as he waited out the coughing and gently rubbed his thumb over the duvet encasing him. 

"Thanks." Eren said eventually. 

"No problem, now drink up." Levi said, handing him the cooling mug of medicine. 

"This stuff is awful." Eren complained, drinking it in slow sips regardless as Levi hummed knowingly. "You should head out you know, I don't want you catching this." 

"Someone has to look after you." Levi said, smiling and gently stroking Eren's greasy, unwashed bangs away from his sweaty forehead. 

"You just want me to get better sooner for the sex." Eren said with a small laugh which only turned into a handful of pained coughs, making Levi's own chest clench at seeing his significant other in pain. 

"Well I can't deny it, but I hate seeing you so miserable. I just miss seeing you smile is all." Levi admitted and Eren was pleased for his temperature as well as the darkness in the room which all served to disguise the blush creeping up his cheeks and heating his ear tips. "I don't care if I get ill taking care of you." 

"Well please be aware I'm not taking care of you if you do get sick. I don't want to catch this crap again." Eren admitted. Levi had to laugh because he understood his husband was being completely honest. He would genuinely leave Levi to fend for himself, or at least disinfect every surface he touched. 

"I don't dispute that for a single second. I will do my best to top up on anti-Eren-lurgies." Levi teased. 

"Seriously though, you're taking vitamin C like every day, right?" Eren asked, expression serious. 

"Yes, _mother_." 

"Hey, don't tease the plague victim here." 

"You're not exactly dying here, Eren." 

"People die from the flu!" Eren exclaimed, making Levi snicker much to his displeasure. 

"Only if they're like... an O.A.P or a toddler. Are you either of those?" 

Eren pouted, setting his empty mug on the nightstand. "I could be," he said, folding his arms in protest. Levi simply shuffled a little closer and sat with his back against the headboard, wrapping an arm around his sickly lover who was too exhausted to do anything other than melt into his embrace. 

"You'll be fine." Levi said, stroking his hair. "I'll run you a bath later before I go to pick up the rug rats." 

Eren hummed in what could only have been thanks as he curled up into Levi's lap, the only thing interrupting his peace being his persistent, chesty cough. He'd whine pathetically once he was done coughing, holding a hand to his chest and wincing. 

"Ugh, I can handle the fever and the phlegm but this cough is the worst." Eren grumbled into Levi's lap before rolling off onto his back, fighting to push the pillow away so he could lay flat against the mattress. Levi took this as his cue to get up, lean down and place a kiss on Eren's hot forehead before moving through the stuffy room to the window. 

As if he were a vampire retreating from the sunlight, Eren squirmed under his duvet as Levi opened the curtains just enough to crack open a window, frowning at the condensation. He'd have to wash everything in here after Eren was better. The place felt like a thick contamination zone from ceiling to floor. Once the window was open, Levi moved through the room to the ensuite and Eren could hear his husband plugging the bath followed by running water. He opted to lay in bed until Levi told him his bath was ready. He wasn't sure how long he could sit up for. 

Levi busied himself with picking up Eren's various pieces of clothing, blankets and numerous tissues. 

"Got enough snot rags, Eren?" Levi commented with a smirk. Eren just groaned, arm flung over his eyes as he coughed a few more times. 

"How is mum?" 

"She's fine. Worried about you, but fine." 

"And the kids?" 

"Also fine. They didn't drive her as mad as you thought they would." Levi told him, still straightening things up in their bedroom. 

"When are you going to get them?" 

"After your bath, and no you can't come." 

Another groan from Eren. "I haven't seen them in like a whole week." He complained. 

"You said it yourself you don't want them getting sick." Levi said, finalising their conversation as he left the room to return Eren's used glasses to the kitchen as well as empty the trash. Once Levi returned he was straight into the bathroom and back out again. 

"It's almost full, get up." 

There would be no arguing with a hot bath, so Eren slowly crawled out from the depths of his duvet cocoon and hobbled over to the bathroom door, finding Levi waiting with a fresh stack of towels resting on the top of the closed toilet. 

"Come here you," Levi said, coaxing Eren closer. Once within arm's reach Levi assisted Eren out from his three-day old clothes and helped him into his bath, disappearing only long enough to remove his clothes and return with new ones. 

"Take it easy, alright? I'll be back in a minute." Levi said, leaving Eren to his bath for about fifteen minutes as he quickly stripped the bed and replaced the sheets. He quickly shoved all of Eren's sweaty sheets into the washer and returned to the bathroom, closing the door, preventing any potential drafts. Eren was awake, barely, pushing a rubber duck around through the small bubbles on the surface. Levi sat down on his knees by the edge of the tub and leant over Eren to retrieve a soft sponge and a bottle of shower gel. 

Eren would only cough a few times during his bath and he seemed a lot more at ease having Levi rub gentle soapy circles into his back and neck, rinsing him off with handfuls of water. Once he was clean, dried and dressed again, Eren caught Levi in a hug before he could leave the steamy bathroom. The shorter man remained silent and let him hold him. This was his way of thanking him for the help, he understood. 

"You're gonna hate me in a minute." Levi broke the silence and Eren pulled back, perking an eyebrow. Eren left the bathroom and returned to a tidy bedroom with a freshly made bed. The smell of some sort of cleaning product was subtle in the air, but his sensitive nose and throat picked up on it immediately. 

"How the hell do you find time to clean?" 

Levi simply smiled, watching Eren return to the bed and crawl under the clean sheets.

"I keep telling you.. it's not me, it's the cleaning fairy!" Levi said, much in a tone he'd often reserve for the children, but smiling nonetheless at his husband. 

"Yeah, there's a fairy doing it for sure, that's one thing." Eren grinned right back at Levi, earning him an amused Levi claiming to have an 'itch' on his nose to which he scratched with a 'choice finger' directed at Eren. The pair of men laughed, or more, one laughed and the other almost died in a fit of coughing. 

Levi had positioned the small electric heater beside Eren's bed after having the window open to remove a little bit of the stagnant air and had laid out a grain-filled body wrap over the top of it. By now it was hot enough to rival a hot water bottle, but not enough to be uncomfortable against clothed skin. Levi gently pulled the covers away from Eren's chest and laid out the silk warmer across his chest. Eren's mouth fell open in relief and he closed his eyes as Levi covered him back up, tucking him into the sheets so he wouldn't feel drafty. 

"Alright, I'm gonna go get the monsters from your mum's. See you in a bit." Levi said, kissing Eren's (much cleaner) forehead. Eren simply hummed, already well on his way to sleeping off another good portion of another day, so Levi left him to it. He didn't often spend a lot of his time doting on a sick Eren whenever he was unwell, as he tended to prefer being left alone to sleep it off a lot of the time. It suited Levi just fine, because he could still get his chores done without him underfoot, begging for attention. 

Not having had the kids in the flat for an entire week also helped. The amount Levi was able to organise and throw away, let go of, donate to charity or generally clean was astounding. He felt very pleased with his week's efforts. He returned to the study where he'd left a few clothes and swapped his PJ's for his jeans and a tee with a simple black sweater and a thick peacoat. He slipped on some shoes by the door, grabbed a large umbrella from the coatrack and his car keys. 

Once at Carla's house, he let himself in with his own key. "Carla, I'm here!" He called down the corridor, only to hear a stampede of small feet racing around above him. The kids must be upstairs. He could hear their frantic voices screaming that their dad was here and he couldn't help but smile. He'd missed them too and was glad to be able to take them home today since Eren wasn't quite as contagious as he had been. 

"Hey Levi, how are you?" Carla said, managing to beat the two children of eight and six, a boy and a girl. Farlan, the older of the two managed to reach Levi first, closely followed by Isabel, both of which clung to Levi's legs as if he'd been gone for years, almost toppling them all over. 

"Oof, easy there!" Levi said to the pair as he grinned at Carla, setting his umbrella down haphazardly and resting his hands on the children's shoulders or stroking their hair as they hugged him silly. "Yeah, I'm okay thanks, how about you and Hannes?" Levi asked. 

"Oh, we're quite fine, thank you. How is Eren?" She asked, her tone full of concern. 

"He's much better than he was. We finally found some cough medicine that works, so he's a lot more comfortable now. The sweats have gone down and his temperature is almost back to normal." 

"That's good to hear." 

"These two didn't give you any trouble now, did they?" Levi directed more at Farlan and Isabel who fervently shook their heads, pretending to be perfect little angels, smiling sweetly. 

"No no, they were wonderful. Please if you need to drop them by any time, I'm just a call or a text away." Carla reassured him. 

"Thanks a lot. Now, kids. What do you say to Grandma?"

"Thank you!" They both said in unison, scurrying over to hug her too, causing her to laugh heartily. 

"Come on then, you two. Get your shoes on, I've got dinner to make." 

The two proceeded to shuffle by the door and get their shoes strapped onto their feet while Carla brought through their small pair of coloured suitcases and handing them to Levi along with a small carrier bag with what looked like tupperware inside. 

"Carla you didn't need to..." Levi started, trying to be polite but still appreciating the gesture. This would mean he didn't have to cook tonight. 

"I insist. You must be exhausted after this week, now go on." She leant over to give him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek before ushering all three of them out and into Levi's car. 

He must have only been asleep for an hour or so before Eren heard the keys in the lock and three sets of footsteps down the hall, excited little voices chattering about being home, shortly followed by Levi shushing them both and presumably setting them up with something to do, such as colouring or toys as Eren couldn't hear the television. Unless it was on quietly. 

He leant over in bed and fumbled for a pair of tablets he hadn't noticed had been left out by Levi before he'd gone. He really did wonder where the man found the time to be so thoughtful all of the time. He'd even left him a glass of water with a green straw, his favourite colour. Once his tablets had been taken, Eren couldn't be bothered to pour himself a teaspoon of cough syrup so just poured it into his mouth from the bottle, being careful not to touch the rim. 

He'd intended to get up and go and see Farlan and Isabel, but before he knew it his eyes were dragging themselves shut again and he was asleep. Once he woke up the lighting in the room was strange. His chest was always at it's best once he'd had a good rest, so he had a good hour of lying in bed without coughing. 

Levi let himself into the room with a mug and a glass of water and asked how he was feeling. 

"A lot better, actually. What time is it?" 

Levi looked at his watch. "It's just gone one." 

Eren looked hopelessly confused as he glanced toward the light coming from beneath the curtains. "In the morning?" 

"It's Monday, Eren. You slept all the way through." 

"Damn." 

"Yeah, are you hungry?" Levi said, offering the mug as he sat down and Eren shuffled himself into a seated position, gladly nodding and taking it. He'd made him a mug of chicken soup with no pepper or chili so as to not aggravate his cough. 

"Thank you." Eren said as he sipped at it. Levi just sat there watching him for a moment. After a few moments of silence with Levi simply watching him sip at his soup, the younger of the two started looking concerned. "What is it?"

Levi simply smiled in response and shrugged, leaning over to press a hand against Eren's forehead, checking his temperature before slowly stroking his hand down his husband's cheek. 

"I just love you, that's all." 

"I love me too." Eren quipped, grinning childishly and earning him a playful smack to the leg from the older. 

"I'll remember that next time you want something." Levi pouted, folding his arms. Eren scrambled to put his soup mug on the bedside table and scooted forward, trying to wrap his arms around Levi's waist and not getting very far, ending up more slumped onto the man's legs. 

"I'm sorry Levi," Eren said in a whiny voice, looking up at him with his doughiest eyes. Levi rolled his eyes and turned his head upward and away. 

"Nope." Levi said, although he could feel a smile tugging at his own lips, enjoying watching Eren squirm out from his covers and cling to him. 

"I thought you didn't want me to get sick?" Levi said, turning to face Eren who had now sat up on his knees and was hugging Levi, nuzzling into his neck affectionately. 

"But I'm better now." Eren said, still with a hint of mock, playful complaint in his tone. Levi unfolded his arms and laid back on the bed, dragging Eren with him gently and pushing him onto his back, looking him straight in the eye as soon as they were both comfortable, Levi half draped over Eren with one arm and one leg. 

"I love you too," Eren said softly as he leant up for a soft, slow kiss. They didn't have anywhere to be, nor were either of them feeling particularly horny, so neither took it anywhere other than a sweet gesture. The pair lay in comfortable silence for a few moments before Levi propped himself up with an elbow to look down at Eren. 

"Say... you said you're feeling better eh?" He said, a hint of suggestion in his tone. Eren cocked his head to the side and smirked mischievously, a hand ghosting over the small of Levi's back as the older man trailed a finger down and along Eren's collarbone. 

"Well enough for a little bit, nothing too intense." Eren said, leaning up to capture Levi's lips once more. Levi was more than happy to melt into the embrace and the kiss, revelling in the way their lips seemed biologically constructed for one another's. It was only when Eren's hand grew a little more adventurous and dipped below Levi's denim waistband did the pair hear a sudden muffled clanging noise followed by Isabel screeching from the other room and Farlan bursting into their bedroom. 

The pair looked up immediately, although didn't move, as Farlan stormed in, covered in blue paint from the waist down. 

"Izzy splashed me!" he complained. Isabel was not far behind, herself also covered in paint, mainly in her hair which was now a nice mixture of reds and greens. 

"Farlan started it!" she retorted in a huff. 

Levi simply rested his forehead against Eren's with a sigh and Eren grinned. Levi leant back up and whispered to his husband that they'd resume this later, and that he'd better go and clean up after the monsters. 

Eren couldn't help but smile as he watched his partner usher the two paint-covered children out of the room, paying no heed to their complaints and asking them gentle questions to decipher the origins of the paint fight. 

Letting out a sigh and relaxing back into his sheets, Eren grinned as he thought how lucky he was to have the life he had. 

Now all he had to do was concoct a plan to make sure Levi didn't get sick too.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [Tumblr](http://agent-2-6.tumblr.com).


End file.
